Tag Archives: World of Perfume

Vero Profumo – Kiki

World of Perfume April 29, 2011 Comments: 14

I want to finish with my favourite. And oh, what a favourite!

Btw, I never considered myself a huge fan of lavender. I like the smell of it but it doesn’t make me weak at the knees.

These are my favourite extrait and the edp of the line. Edp won by a margin but the extrait is just incredible. I just wish I could write about them in a normal way and not with gushing emotion. 🙂

It’s just, the extrait reminds me so vividly of my childhood summers spent at the middle Croatian coast, in a little village with lavender fields. That is a smell you never forget.  And then when you find it in perfume, I don’t need to tell you how wonderful it makes me feel. I can smell and see in my mind the lavender fields bathed in the sun and smelling warm. This might not sound like a perfume, but believe me, it is.
Of the notes, except for variants of lavender, I can’t say I smell anything particular. It’s more the case of realizing the notes are making lavender smell differently than actually smelling the other notes. But then again, maybe it’s just the fact that my nose has trouble going around a familiar note which is prominent.

I don’t want to sound again like edp is not worth the same notice. It is. It’s the best variant of the passion fruit note because for some reason, here it smells most alive and the least sweet.
You know, from the notes, you’d think you could smell the lavender straight away but that’s not the case. It’s hidden in there and it forces the fruit to behave from behind the scenes.

Really, that lavender is an intriguingly shady fellow…

I have to apologize if my Vero reviews sounded more like my imagination running wild than actual reviews, but I just didn’t seem to be able to help myself.
They take you on a journey and you’re not sure where you  will end up, but you will definitely have an interesting ride (and a satisfying end point).
Basically, it’s the same as with good books, you never know where they will take you and where you will end up.

Edp notes: Lavender essential oil, bergamot, citron, passion fruit, lavender absolute, geranium, caramel, patchouli, musk

Extrait notes: lavender, caramel, musk, fruits

Notes and pic by: http://www.luckyscent.com/

Vero Profumo – Onda

World of Perfume April 28, 2011 Comments: 6

How to do this without resorting to same ideas as for Rubj?

I don’t want to repeat myself and say I prefer the extrait again (which I do). It’s just that the fruity (passion fruity) opening makes me think of candy. You know, combine ginger and fruit and see what you will think of.

So, the extrait starts off very seriously, green and menthol-like with bark and woody hints. I like the opening a lot, lets you breathe it in with open lungs. And then, it gets a bit problematic for me, getting an oily vetiver quality that does not go well with my stomach (especially when combined with light leathery smokiness). I can’t help smelling it and waiting to see if it will disappear. It does and then I can happily state that I’m in love with its character and strength (and it has both in spades).

On the other hand, the edp feels boyish and flashy. You know, if the extrait were a man of strength and character and some years, the edp would be a young, flashy man. Not a bad one, just not yet grown up (psychologically). But you can see after spending time with both, that they must be some kind of family as you recognize the facial features of your man in the young man standing before you.

Edp notes: Bergamot, citron, mandarin, ginger, coriander, basil, passion fruit, iris, ylang-ylang, honey, vetiver Bourbon, patchouli, musk, cedar wood

Extrait notes: vetiver, ginger, mace, coriander

I really don’t want you to think the edp is not good because it is. And if I haven’t smelled the extrait, I would probably think it was great. But I can’t help it when the extrait speaks to me and I want the edp to grow up. And smelling them side by side didn’t help much as I kept giving more attention to the extrait even though I noticed the lightheartedness (fruitiness) of edp disappearing and more character showing.

All 3 extraits make me feel like they were given freedom to develop and spread their wings while the edps feel a bit stumped in their growth.  And I have no idea where that came from but it felt right in writing it down.

Notes and pic by: http://www.luckyscent.com/

Vero Perfumes – Introduction and Rubj

World of Perfume April 26, 2011 Comments: 14

I have samples of Vero Perfume extraits for a couple of years now. I ordered sometime early in my budding perfumista days, spritzed and promptly concluded I have no idea why they are hailed as great.
As you might have noticed, lately I’ve been going through those samples that didn’t get love in my early days and realizing you really need to build up to some perfumes and smell many, many steps to get there. Eventually though, your effort is awarded and new smelling vistas open before your nose.

That is what keeps happening to me. So, when I discovered samples of edp of Rubj, Kiki and Onda in the package Helg sent, I was overjoyed. 🙂 I could finally test the extraits and edps side by side and see if I understand what the deal is. Which is what I’ve been doing the past week or so and today I’ll talk about Rubj.

EdP notes: Bergamot, mandarin, neroli, passion fruit, cumin, orange flower absolute, tuberose, basil, cedar, oak moss, musk

Extrait notes: Moroccan orange blossom, musk, Egyptian jasmine

You know, you really need to have some serious talent if you can get 3 notes to smell like Rubj.

The extrait opened on me like a sweet, jasminy floral and for someone who loves orange blossoms, I seem to be able to miss them each time they come with some other white floral.

Rubj smells seducingly warm, lightly sweet and enveloping.

The edp on the other hand smells more and less sweet at the same time. Like a brash version of the elegant woman that is extrait. It’s fruity sweet and louder and at the same time, that sweetness is tempered with something that smelled fir like to me, but there are notes in there that can lead you in that direction easily (and it’s not like I recognize the nuances).
Honestly, to me, these two don’t smell like variants of the same. The edp is fruity, cuminy warm (I’m warning you well in advance you smell cumin in there), stronger and bolder in a tropical way.
And the most interesting thing to come from smelling Rubj extrait is that I think it smells clean and light-hearted, and I guess clean smelling comes from the fact that it smells very much like L’Oreal hair color which I found very funny and enjoyable at the same time.

I should also warn you that wearing Rubj edp might cause some concerned smelling of yourself to check if your deodorant is working as it should. 🙂 The cumin at its best work. 😉

To me, it was only in the drydown of both that I could see the family resemblance.

I should also state now that after smelling all the extraits and edps, I prefer the extraits. I believe the edps will probably sell better but the extraits are the strange, tempered beasts you want to spend time with.
Also, the extraits are much more elegant in their approach towards the world, they are not brashly spoken young things but softly spoken creatures of a world of their own.

I’ve read that Ms. Kern worked the edps around the passion fruit note. After smelling all of them, you cannot miss it.

Soon to come – reviews of Ondas and Kikis. 🙂

Notes and pic by: http://www.luckyscent.com/

Keiko Mecheri: Scarlett

World of Perfume April 13, 2011 Comments: 14

I still can’t believe I thought I didn’t like these perfumes. 🙂 But it was at the beginning of my perfume love so I think that lack of sniffing experience is a good excuse. 🙂

It’s not often I encounter a perfume that upon the first smell makes me love it. It happened with Iris Pourpre too.

For me, it starts lightly citrusy (very lightly and only because I now always expect some variant on that so I focus), masculine smelling (even though on Luckyscent it’s in the feminine category) and I have no idea what else I’m smelling but whatever it is, it seems to be wet. 🙂 Not aquatic but like you immersed it in water and took it out, and now the perfume smells wet. It smells of a green herb sprayed with a lot of juicy fruit. You can smell and feel the juiciness of this one.

Notes by KM: bay rose, rare spices, hesperides, rose, green notes, musk
Notes by Luckyscent: rare spices, blood orange zest, green of angelica, may rose

When combined, they give a better precision, as I understand where the juicy fruit is coming from.
This is one of those perfumes that notes cannot describe and even if you try to describe it in such a manner, it wouldn’t even come close. Because it smells refreshing, alive, smilingly happy and energetic at the same time, while retaining the dewy feel until drydown. You can feel the spices pinching your nose lightly (I thought it smelled like cinnamon, possibly clove too).

And here is where I came to a wall.

As you can see, green notes are listed and I couldn’t smell them out. The thing is, I knew from the start that there had to be something green in there but the whole time I was smelling my wrist, I couldn’t smell them out. I mean, I can tell by the way the whole structure smells they are there, I just can’t smell them.
Does this happen to anyone else?

Since today was a tiring day, I was very glad to wear this on my wrist and be able to smell for instant pick-me-up. It just plain works for me. 🙂

And as this discovery made me very happy, what didn’t make me happy at all, quite the contrary, is the fact that Keiko Mecheri site only ships samples to US and the line is not available in Croatia. So, if I want to try the rest of the rather large collection (and I want to), I need to order them from a third party. Eventually I guess…

Notes and pic by: http://www.keikomecheri.com/

Other notes by: http://www.luckyscent.com/

Wish I’d get to a coast soon – Costes by Costes

World of Perfume April 7, 2011 Comments: 8

I’ve been hearing about Costes for a long time but somehow never got around to sampling any of their offerings. Until a little sample of Costes (edt I believe) arrived in a swap.
And then again it took me ages to try it. I rather don’t think about the amount of samples and decants I have and have not talked about (or sniffed at all).

As I always do, I tried it without checking the notes beforehand. Just for an instant, it wafted a little suncreen smell I recognize but can’t place as which particular bottle it might have come from. And besides, it disappearing so fast, it’s not really important.
What is important is that it starts off citrusy and lavender-like and well, strong. Here is where I need to clarify that not all lavender notes smell the same to me. Some take on a masculine character that is in my mind reminiscent of firs and greenery. Like this one. I also thought I smelled incense but wondered later if I was wrong because I couldn’t find it afterward.

Notes: lavender, bay-tree, coriander, white pepper, rose, incense, woods, light musc.

Yes, seeing the notes, I realize why I’m thinking of green lavender. 🙂
While looking for notes, I also came across the fact that this was made by Olivia Giacobetti. It seems she pretty much can’t miss out with me. I like this one very much, even though I don’t consider it as great as some of her other creations. And when I say great, I’m thinking more in the line of complex and changing.
Because after that initial green fresh blast, it goes into peppery freshness tinged by lighty sweet rose and pretty much stays there.

For someone who thought that roses are not friendly to her in perfumes, I somehow ended up loving them in all the myriad of variants they come out. I don’t know though what those variants are called and they are rarely named in notes so I still haven’t learned to distinguish them by names. But it seems Ms Giacobetti knows them inside out as this isn’t her first rosey perfume I tried, and I admit I love Eau Egyptienne a bit more than this one.
But having said that, if I had a bottle of this, I would be spraying it quite often, and at this time of the year too, as it’s fresh, optimistic, lively and extremely easy to wear even though I’m thinking some people might object to pepper as I find it quite obvious. But it’s just that little thing that adds a bit of sexy zestiness to it.

SO, one last thing I need to say about this is that it’s easy to smell the notes (I didn’t smell all of them but most) and to follow them through the scent but they don’t work in there for themselves, there is a synergy in there that makes the sum of the notes you recognize and smell, into a little work of art that is easy to wear.

Notes and pic by: http://www.luckyscent.com/

Strange lands – MPG Jardin du Nil

World of Perfume April 5, 2011 Comments: 8

Where to start?
Is it just me or do some of the perfume names sound extremely similar? Btw, this one came out in 1988.

Also, it’s been on my mind these days so I need to get it off my chest (has no connection to the rest of the post though).
I remember discovering the perfumeland (I love how Carrie put it) and getting lost immediately. I started reading THE blogs (you all probably know  from your own experience which) and there were all these names there – of perfume houses, perfumes and perfumers I’ve never even heard of but everyone else seemed to know who were they all talking about. All these abbreviations, like SL, Fem du Bois, MPG, FM, ELdO, etc. were complete mistery, not to mention the fact that getting the perfume name connected to the right house was way beyond me.
And here I am, a few years later, writing a blog and discussing all these things in abbreviations. And I thought I would never, ever, be able to gain this knowledge.
Basically, what I’m saying is – when you want to do something and it’s something you like, there is no limit to where you might go. And I just feel like I started. 🙂

OK, on to my strange discovery.

I have problems putting my thoughts into words now. The perfume itself is strange (until the drydown) and what it made me realize isn’t that strange but it’s something I never considered before.
You see, when I applied Jardin du Nil, I thought my sample might have gone off. So, I went searching for notes and all relevant information, only to come across the fact that other people might not have termed it so diplomatically and had much more colorful phrases to describe the opening of this one. 🙂

So, it seems my sample isn’t off, just strange. And I’m bursting to tell you that although that strange is almost unwearable (well, certainly for some), I love the fact that Jean Laporte was so brave, as well as MPG, and released this.
Notes: citruses, geranium, mint, tincture of rose, jasmine, vetyver, patchouli, amber.

Believe me, these notes do not prepare you in the least for what is to assault your nose once you apply Jardin du Nil. 🙂
I know I make it sound awful but I am just so intrigued by it. I will keep smelling my sample over and over.

But to get back on to the perfume. It starts for me like a citrusy, acidic, bitter and aquatic something. I thought the acidic/bitter part was due to the perfume going off, but it seems that’s normal. 🙂
And then I went in search of notes and realized what it was that I was smelling. The rose tincture! Beside the citrusy notes, I’m sure you all know the smell of stale roses in a vase. That’s what’s giving this the strange acidic feel that is a bit nose-assaulting. But once I realized it, I didn’t mind the smell. Well, I didn’t even mind it before because I was intrigued.

After this initial strangeness, I’m guessing we’re entering the more docile waters of the Nile, where the rose is more dark and lightly boozy, underscored by mint and then later by vetiver and jasmine hiding somewhere in the night so you can’t be completely sure it’s them but you can guess who in the company is yet unaccounted for.
The drydown reminds me of Paestum Rose’s drydown and is nowhere near the intriguing strangeness of the beginning but is probably the part most people enjoy the most or never get around to smelling. 🙂

Found another one – Under the Arbor by CB I hate perfume

World of Perfume April 3, 2011 Comments: 14

It’s finally dawning on me that if I want to find something new and interesting to wear (for any purpose really), I only need to dig deeper into the recesses of my perfume collection and I’ll be sure to find something that fits.
I know why I skipped this one, I thought it might be similar to Black March which I love to smell but can’t wear so I just didn’t feel the need to try Under the Arbor.

That is, until a few days ago while on the lookout for spring scents.

If I imagine sitting under the arbor (I’m not imagining the grape one which was the starting point for this one), I’d imagine sitting in the shade of a large tree, on a bed of grass, enjoying the warmth of the sun safely away from its rays and smelling the  nature around me.

Under the Arbor doesn’t transport me there actually. And definitely not into a summer day.
It starts for me smelling of bark and grass in the morning, when it doesn’t smell sweet but more earthy. I didn’t realize it until this one came along, that when spring comes, I need scents that are grounding and not too exuberant as spring is exuberant itself, so I need something to temper that and make me feel alive at the same time.
And what better way to do that then bring one into contact with nature?

Notes: crushed grape leaves, weathered wood, green moss, cool earth

At some point it reminded me a bit of Black March due to the whole earthy vibe but while I can’t wear the earthiness that is Black March, I can wear this one. Because even though it doesn’t transport me into a summer day under the arbor, it does something even better.

As the perfume progressed, I got the distinct feeling that the sun was gaining height and the spring air around me started warming and with it the sweetness of air got stronger. It is as if you sat under that arbor in the relative spring coolness of the morning and reclined there in the peace of nature while the sun kept rising and warming your little spring paradise.

Honestly, that is one of the better experiences you can smell bottled. 🙂

Notes by: http://www.cbihateperfume.com/
Pic by: http://www.visnjan.hr/

Found one! – Le Labo Vetiver 46

World of Perfume March 23, 2011 Comments: 16

So after an enthusiastic search yesterday for samples and decants of spring lovelies to try from the suggestions I received, one of those I found and wasn’t looking for was Le Labo’s Vetiver 46. (I also found MAC’s linden one and Le Temps d’un Fete by PdN and Reverie au Jardin but that’s another story).

Today, while looking for notes, I realized that the 46 from the name stands for 46 essences in there. Well, there is certainly more in there than they listed as notes: pepper, gaiac wood, labdanum, cedar, olibanum, incense, tahitian vetiver.

While I said there is more in there, in the beginning, you wouldn’t know it, getting hit by some serious pepper. Which I don’t mind, I enjoy that but it did smell, well, I hate to say it – masculine. It’s slightly citrusy, very peppery and lightly smoky.
I also saw that this was a Mark Buxton perfume and I seem to be getting an idea when smelling perfumes that they are bearing his signature as this one hints at some CdGs.

The initial pepper blast doesn’t last too long and soon something slightly sweet starts to appear in the background, while in the front, incense is slowly taking center stage. The perfume keeps smelling better and better and this is the point where it reminded me a bit of Timbuktu. But it’s more lively and refreshing than Timbuktu. Which sounds exactly like the thing one needs in spring. 🙂

And this is where I come to the part of the missing notes. Ok, yes, I smelled vetiver at some point but it was very delicately done. This is not a fragrance dominated by vetiver for me (or after some googling for everyone else), unless there is a facet of vetiver I’m not aware of. In the drydown I started getting this flowery-blackberrish radiance on top of the lightly sweet,  woody-vetiver breeze. The drydown smells so great to me that I keep thinking with those 46 essences in there, someone must have accidentally hit on the perfect ratio to produce this effect. I simply love it. 🙂

Oh! Just found better notes on Luckyscent: bergamot, black pepper, clove, cedar, vetiver, labdanum, olibanum, gaiac wood, amber, and vanilla.

Pic and notes by: http://www.luckyscent.com/

Hilde Soliani: Conaffetto

World of Perfume March 18, 2011 Comments: 12

I’m sure most of you found some information regarding this perfume among other blogs out there. Conaffetto (con affetto) meaning “with affection” and the confetti reference of weddings.

For that matter, I remember my parents bringing home confetti when going to weddings, it used to be a tradition here as well.
There is still the tradition of giving your guests a little gift but it evolved and can now be almost anything.

This is my first perfume by Hilde Soliani and if I were to choose where to start with her line, it probably wouldn’t have been with this one. But as I won a draw on Fragrance Belles-Lettres, I was eagerly awaiting this to see for myself what the fuss is about.

There is not a wealth of notes for this one: orange blossom, almonds, sugar.

I seem to be smelling gourmands these days. 🙂

Btw, I am ashamed to say I had my suspicions when first trying this and getting hit with the smell of vanilla and almond ice cream. Vanilla-sweet and almondy? I thought, Oh, please, it’s not going to keep smelling like that?!

Luckily for me, and really ashamed here for being the doubting Thomas (is that the phrase in English?), that opening didn’t last long and next time I braved my arm, I was surprised by what I found on it. The ice cream sweetness was gone and something different was left in its place.

I’ve been trying to figure what exactly it is for several days now but the best I came up with the 3 little notes given for this is – the smell of almonds turns slightly bitter (and for a little while citrusy) and the orange blossom maintains the balance between the sugar and almonds. It’s not like I can actually smell sugar , well, now I think of it, yes I can. I know the smell of sugar, I just never thought to look for it in perfume.

The bottom line is, I’m glad if I were to win something by Ms Soliani, it was this because it made me realize there is hope for me and almonds in perfumes without me even getting the hint of the idea of marzipan.
And bravo for making these notes into a perfume (I would never have thought this possible before).

So, as I was lucky, I want to spread it around a bit more, and if anyone is interested in trying this, first 3 commenters to state their interest will get a sample. 🙂

Pic by: http://www.myweddingplanningtips.com/

Linari, take two – Notte Bianca and Angelo di Fiume

World of Perfume March 16, 2011 Comments: 8

It seems I’m good at picking my favourites out of a line without having any prior knowledge of what they smell like or who made them.

Today I tested the other two eau de parfums from the Linari line (I don’t have the last two though) and these were not made by Egon Oelkers and don’t speak to me as Eleganza Iluminosa and Vista sul Mare did.
I didn’t know all  this when I tested them as I don’t like my opinion influenced more than I can help it.

One thing I do need to say though – these are some seriously strong perfumes as I only put 2-3 drops of each of them when testing (the previous two as well) and they both last and are easily smelled even hours later (and even through my still congested nose).
So here are my thoughts.

Notte Bianca

Notes: delicate fruity accents of pink grapefruit, fresh bergamot and Italian orange combine with the vitalising spicy notes of star anise, elixir of absinth, clove, sage and the finest cashmere wood. Accords of Haitian vetiver and tonka bean provide a seductive sensual character to the base note, highlighted by white musk and amber.

The way this one is named, I was sure it would be a white flower fest. Not at all (as you can see from the notes). It does start like creamy whiteness but not that of the white flowers, instead it is that of the nuts (almonds, hazelnuts and coconuts). Not too sweet as there is some green stuff underneath. God, I sometime wonder why anyone would read my reviews when phrases like “green stuff” appear. 🙂 Oh well.

The first two hours or so were great. Terrific actually as it progressed from that creamy nutty whiteness into a sweet, fresh and sagely green loveliness.
Only to surprise me with the next step that transported me straight to a June walk on the Adriatic coast amid the still green and fragrant shrubbery, a walk to the next town from the one where I’m staying. And I so wanted a perfume that smelled exactly like that! It’s undescribeable for me and the middle stage of this perfume smells perfectly of that.
Unfortunately, the drydown leaves me completely unmoved. 😦 It’s a perfectly unisex (grey) ambery -musky drydown. And it had so much potential.

Angelo di Fiume
 

Notes: gourmet of opulent, fruity notes of wild cherries, raspberries, Italian orange and bergamot merge with floral accords of ylang ylang, rose leaves and jasmine, rounded off with sweet caramel. The complex base note seduces with Madagascan vanilla whilst smooth accents of finest sandalwood and Siamese benjoin resin are subtly flattered by white musk and patchouli.

I can’t say this is exactly me but if I had a bottle, I imagine I would wear it often enough. It’s a perfect epitome of a sweet gourmand which would be a pretty good initiation into gourmands for those braving the perfume waters.

I love the opening that starts with a whack on the head sweetness of fruity candy. And that candy smells of oranges and raspberries to me. It makes me smile the way that lollipop idea springs into my mind with this fruit candy.

And if you thought the candy opening was sweet, just wait a minute until caramel hits you. 🙂 I can’t say I smelled the flowers but that could be because of my still congested nose, but I have to say I’m doubting it a bit what with the caramel being so strong. It feels stupid saying it’s not too sweet as caramel cannot smell but sweet. But you should take into consideration that I don’t have a sweet tooth so if I don’t consider it too sweet, I’m thinking most people could live with it. Besides, I love the smell of caramel.
I do find the drydown of this better than that of Notte Bianca but it’s a toned down fruity candy with some caramel remnants. I’m pretty sure the sandalwood and patchouli are the ones responsible for toning it down.

P.S. There is one more perfume in this line made by Egon Oelkers and I definitely plan on getting my hands on a sample of Fuoco Infernale.

Pics and notes by: Linari site